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Louis E. Yavner Teaching and Citizen Awards

The Board of Regents invites nominations for the Louis E. Yavner Teaching and Citizen Awards. These awards provide recognition of a teacher and a citizen who have made outstanding contributions to New York State education about the Holocaust and other violations of human rights. The awards were established by the Regents and funded by the late Regent Emeritus Louis E. Yavner. State Education Department staff are not eligible for these awards. 

Salamanca Central School District teachers Brooke Canale and Brandy Kinney, NYSED's 2022 Louis E. Yavner Teacher Award co-recipients and Julie Golding from Suffern, NY as the NYSED's Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award recipient.

Louis E. Yavner Teaching Award

The Louis E. Yavner Teaching Award recognizes an elementary or secondary, public and nonpublic school teacher in New York State who has made an outstanding contribution to education about the Holocaust and other violations of human rights.

Teaching Award Criteria: The nominee’s work related to the Holocaust and other violations of human rights will be judged according to the following criteria:

  • Activities in public and/or nonpublic schools, including courses taught, extracurricular activities for students, school-wide programming, etc. within the last 5 years
  • Activities outside of school, such as workshops, presentations, exhibits, etc. which have benefited professional associations, higher education institutions, cultural institutions, civic groups, and/or service organizations within the last 5 years
  • Total number of students, teachers, and others reached through both in school and out of school  activities
  • Impact of work on students, the local community, professionals and others

Teaching Award Documentation: Documentation must be provided that supports the criteria listed above. Documentation should include:

  • Application form submitted by nominator;
  • A letter of recommendation from the nominator, summarizing the nominee’s contributions;
  • At least 2 other letters of recommendation;
  • Candidate submission:
    1. A short biography or resume, including a chronological listing of activities (e.g., classes, workshops, presentations, exhibits), awards and/or honors received, and publications;
    2. Description of in-school activity including number of teacher/students reached;
    3. Description of activity outside of school including the number of people reached;
    4. Example of materials developed and/or published;
    5. Media reports of activities, if any;
    6. Letters received from students, parents or colleagues regarding activities.

See deadline and submission information below.

Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award

The Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award was established to honor Holocaust survivors, scholars of the Holocaust and human rights issues, and self-taught experts who help to educate students about these difficult topics.

Citizen Award Critera: 

The general criteria for this award are:

  • Contributions on a local, regional and/or statewide basis to education about the Holocaust and other violations of human rights;
  • Total number of students, teachers, and others reached through the candidate’s work;
  • Impact of candidate’s contributions on others.

Documentation for Citizen Award: 

Documentation must be provided that supports the criteria listed above. Documentation should include:

  • Application form submitted by nominator;
  • A letter of recommendation from the nominator, summarizing the nominee’s contributions;
  • At least two other letters of recommendations;
  • Documentation including a short biography of resume that includes a chronological listing or activities, awards and/or honors received. The activities should be described and include the number of people impacted by the activity. Letters received from others regarding the impact of the candidate should be included, as well as any media reports of activities. If the candidate has developed materials or published, reference to this work should be included in the documentation.

See deadline and submission information below.

Deadline and Submission Info

The deadline for submission of nominations is March 1st for the 2023 year. Award winners will be notified the following spring. Their names will remain confidential until the award ceremony at a Board of Regents meeting.

All documentation may be submitted electronically to EMSCURRIC@nysed.gov. Please use YAVNER AWARD as the subject.

Printed documentation may be mailed to Office of Standards & Instruction, Louis E. Yavner Award, New York State Education Department, Room 860 EBA, Albany, NY 12234.

Any questions please contact the Office of Standards & Instruction via email: emscurric@nysed.gov or telephone 518-474-5922

Prior Award Winners

All award winners are from New York State.  Citizen awards were first initiated in 1986.

2022

Brooke Canale and Brandy Kinney, Salamanca Central School District

Julie Golding, Suffern, NY  
2021 No Awardee No Awardee  
2020 No Awardee No Awardee  
2019 Meghan Wright, Alexander Central School District No Awardee

2018

William Zimpfer, Southern Cayuga Central School District No Awardee

2017

Mitchell Polay, Yonkers Public Schools No Awardee

2016

Matthew Rozell, Hudson Fall HS

Eliazar "Ed" Lessing, Hastings-on-Hudson

2015

Kathy Kimball-Wurster, Washingtonville HS

Hannelore Marx, New York

2014

Andrew Beiter, Springville-Griffith Institute MS

Dennis Banks, Oneonta

2009-2013

No Awardee

No Awardee

2008

Helene Alalouf, Yonkers

Marion Blumenthal Lazan, Hewlett

2007

Barbara Bernard, Commack

Fred Bachner*, Somers

2006

Beth Quinn, Yonkers

Ira Bilus, Brooklyn

2005

Patrick E. Connelly, Webster

Sally Frishberg, Brooklyn

2004

Lori Megivern, Dryden

Jack Ratz, Brooklyn

2003

Abbie Laskey, East Hills

Walter Wolff*, Long Beach

2002

Neal Shultz, New York

Helen Sperling, New Hartford

2001

Julia Scallero, Tarrytown

Norbert Friedman, West Hempstead

2000

Susan J. Goldberg*, Hastings-on-Hudson

Irving Roth, Willison Park

1999

Marc Schimsky, Commack

Inge Liese Auerbacher, Jamaica

1998

Douglas W. Pelton, Dryden

Fanya Gottesfeld Heller, New York

1997

Dr. Sharon L. Dobkin, Akron

Jack Polak, Eastchester

1996

Dr. Milton Teichman, Poughkeepsie

Anton Segore, Albany

1995

Mark Willner, Midwood

Renee Fersen-Osten, New Rochelle

1994

Shelly Zima Shapiro, Latham

Dr. Stephanie Isser*, Albany

1993

Donna Aufiero-Rosenblum, Merrick

Bozenna Urbanowicz-Gilbride, Garden City

1992

Steven Paskuly, Buffalo

Siegmund Spiegel, East Meadow

1991

Grace M. Caporino, Yorktown Heights

Alfred Lipson, Bayside

1990

Dr. Diane Isaacs, Dobbs Ferry

Joseph Kalina, Dewitt

1989

Neil B. Yetwin, Schenectady

Georgine J. Hyde, Suffern

1988

Dr. Reuben Stern, Glendale

Clara Feldman, Whitestone

1987

Professor Yaffa Eliach, Brooklyn

Dr. Dennis B. Klein, New York

1986

Vincent Marmorale, Uniondale

Dr. Luba Gurdus, New York

1985

Clayton Adams, Kenmore

 

1984

Stuart Elenko, Bronx

 

1983

Matthew McCarthy, East Meadow

 

1982

Evelyn Becker*

 

* = deceased